Timeshift Preview by CVG

Four years, three redesigns and a switch of generations. Timeshift's had a bad time of it. But now it's back - and finally looking the part...

CVG writes:

"The first time we saw Timeshift, back in the days of old gen Xbox, it looked intriguing. Trouble was, it was so soul-sappingly hard, you felt destroyed the moment you set eyes on it. Luckily, its second outing came complete with generational switch, and things looked better: there was a training level, and the opening missions had the difficulty toned down, so you could at least compete. But, compete was all you did - it was a game where you jumped around, tried to dodge incoming fire and hoped for the best.

Now, though, things are a bit different. Graphically, it's not just stepped up to the plate, it's smashed it to bits. A crumbling future world, devastated by war might not be the most original of concepts, but everything is done with real style: intricate brickwork, falling rubble, amazingly detailed textures, bang up-to-date Havok physics, superior ragdoll effects and - best of all - the most impressive rain you've seen in your whole life. Because you can stop time in Timeshift, you can properly get to appreciate it; when we paused the action, raindrops froze mid-fall, mid-air. It's purely cosmetic, of course, but utterly dazzling."